


One Night In Heliodor

by Bilbosama



Series: Bilbo Attempts Whumptober2020 [1]
Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Concept Fic, Do not repost on another site, Gen, Let's Hang Out Sometime, Whumptober 2020, alternate beginning, crossposted on ff.net, do not copy to another site, end of act 1 spoilers, no.1 - Freeform, no.6, please...stop, technically this counts as stabbing I guess, the luminary is named Xander, the whumpening is in the first chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bilbosama/pseuds/Bilbosama
Summary: In which Mordegon realizes that the Luminary is in the dungeons and decides to make his move early.A whumptober2020 challenge (first chapter only). Prompts used: No.1 - Let's Hang Out Sometime, No.6 - Please...
Series: Bilbo Attempts Whumptober2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952077
Kudos: 11
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this year I decided to try out Whumptober and I'm kicking it off with 'What if Mordegon does the Thing early on in the game': The Fic. The first chapter of this fic was posted on my tumblr yesterday as the day 1 entry.
> 
> This fic covers the Day 1 and 6 prompts and uh your mileage may very on how whumpy it is. orz
> 
> So anyway, off we go.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Quest 11. That's Square Enix's thing.

In one timeline, it took Xander ten minutes to start up a racket by examining his cell and rattling the bars long enough to rouse his hooded neighbor into talking. In turn, this leads to the other prisoner to discover that his Seer given objective was in the cell across from his and spurs him and Xander into escape. They then follow their destinies as the Luminary and one of his dearest companions.

In this timeline, however, Xander stood in his cell in utter bewilderment at the sudden turn of events that led up to his presence in Heliodor’s dungeons. He wasn’t sure what he expected when he set out to travel to Heliodor, but being accused of being the bringer of the world’s destruction and marched off to the dungeons wasn’t it.

And to his mortification, Sir Hendrik and Sir Jasper, great heroes known even in an isolated village like Cobblestone, had glared at him with great hatred as King Carnelian called him the Darkspawn. It is unlikely that they’ll ever come to his defense now.

None of the other prisoners attempted to speak with him the moment the guards left. Somehow, this was just as isolating.

Xander did not know how long he was in the cell but it was beginning to feel a bit boring.

He was about to start rattling the bars to his cell when he heard the distant sound of a door opening and footsteps. Hope sprung in his chest unbidden. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. Maybe they’re going to let him go.

To his surprise, King Carnelian, Sir Hendrik, and a few castle guards marched right up to his cell. A set of steel bars separated the king’s entourage and the prisoner.

The king nodded at a guard who opened the cell door. Xander did nothing except hesitate. If he moved forward, one of the guards or Sir Hendrik would misinterpret as attempting to strike the King. If he moved backwards, it would probably be an insult as he just refused the King’s generosity to grant him a pardon.

Some part of Xander did not like the fact that he was not moving. It wanted him to get away. But how? He did not have his sword nor was he any good at magic. He barely figured out the frizz spell and he had no idea how to reproduce the lightning that saved him and Gemma up on the Tor.

“Chain him,” ordered King Carnelian harshly. Two of the guards complied and Xander is forcibly dragged to the back of the cell where a pair of shackles hung from the wall. He tries to struggle out of their grips but a sixteen year old farm boy is no match to a pair of soldiers who have trained for years. Despite all of his efforts, he’s chained to the wall, unable to move more than half a foot away from it, and completely vulnerable to whatever could happen next.

 _Yggdrasil, please, help me,_ he mentally prayed. He was supposedly the Luminary, right? The Great Tree’s most favored? Surely there is something it can do to intervene.

“At last, Darkspawn,” proclaimed King Carnelian as a cruel smile formed on his lips, “you’re right where I want you.”

He took a purposeful step forward and Xander shrunk back but only met the wall behind him.

The King then suddenly seized, shoulders jerking unnaturally before he let out a pained noise and fell to the floor. Shouts erupted as the guards and Sir Hendrik rushed to His Majesty’s aid.

Dark smoke erupted from the King’s body and to everyone’s horror it solidified into a demonic shaped being in elaborate robes who held a wicked looking staff in his left hand. Xander was suddenly aware of an odd sensation on his left hand but he dared not to twist his body in an attempt to look at it. It would mean certain death if he didn’t keep track of the chuckling monster in front of him.

“Greetings, Darkspawn,” said the being who standing a foot away from the prisoner, his smile becoming cruel. “Or should I say…the Luminary?”

“Who are you?” asked Xander as the shouting got louder. He barely managed to hear a new voice join in the background noise. One that sounded younger.

_“ - me out! Please! I -”_

“I am Mordegon, the future ruler of this pathetic world,” was the reply as Mordegon, unbothered by the commotion behind him, stepped closer and laid his right hand under the young man’s chin before pushing it upwards so Xander could stare into his true captor’s gaze. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, boy.”

Xander could feel the buzzing on his hand get stronger as Mordegon’s cold clawed thumb brushed against his cheek and he felt a great urge to get away from here as fast as possible.

And then he realized his legs were free.

If he could kick Mordegon away, it would put the demon in further range of a Heliodor soldier’s sword and someone could release Xander from the wall’s hold.

Unfortunately, Mordegon saw it coming.

He smirked and allowed the Luminary to lift his foot for a moment before the staff Mordegon was holding glowed. The spell froze Xander in place for a moment before releasing him. Startled, the Luminary slipped and the chains forcefully kept him from hitting the floor. His arms ached sharply.

“A foolish decision, Luminary,” scolded Mordegon as he mockingly patted Xander’s head, “after all, you are completely within my power.”

He withdrew his hand away from the captive’s hair and dark magic erupted from his palm and it spread down his arm, “And I intend to acquire yours.”

Mordegon’s hand dove into Xander’s chest and the young man screamed. The pain he felt was on a different level than he had felt before. It was unrelenting and the chained manacles on his wrists made sure that he couldn’t truly twist away from the intrusion.

 _Yggdrasil, please!_ He prayed. _Make it stop!_

He felt Mordegon’s fingers curl around something inside him and somehow Xander knew that whatever the demon sorcerer found should not be taken.

“Please,” he gasped through the pain, “stop.”

“It will be over, soon enough,” said Mordegon in a soothing tone as if he was merely removing a splinter lodged in his child’s hand. And then he started to pull back with back with his prize, ripping out another scream from his captive.

Mordegon suddenly yelled and arched his back as if struck. Xander felt relief as whatever was being pulled out was released and was now returning to its rightful place within him (but, he somehow knew, not all of it). His wavering vision noted a figure with blue on top of their head clinging to Mordegon’s back.

He vaguely registered the figure calling to Sir Hendrik as Mordegon finally withdrew. He didn’t care why Mordegon was doing so. Xander would rather focus on the glorious relief coming from the fact that the worst is over.

And then at last, it all went dark and he knew no more.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for some aftermath. Unfortunately, not all of it wanted to be part of this chapter and I couldn't move forward until I decided to make this three chapters long and stop trying to delay posting this chapter for 24 hours. So here is a free chapter a day early, yay.
> 
> The final chapter will show up...eventually. orz

The sound of birds was the first thing Xander heard as his consciousness crawled back to awareness. He then noted that he was warm and lying against something firm but comfortable. A blanket made of unfamiliar material was on top of him. It was his first clue that he was not in Cobblestone and just woke up from an intense nightmare.

With great reluctance, Xander opened his eyes to face what horrors today might have in store for him.

He was greeted with not the dungeon cell but with a bed room that was too fancy to even be in Cobblestone. No one in Cobblestone can afford furniture made of foreign wood nor owns multiple portraits of important looking people he doesn't recognize.

He sat up in bed with a lot less difficulty than he expected after being more or less stabbed in the chest and exposed to a great deal amount of dark magic. He still felt a faint twinge in his chest and arms. He noted the healing rings of bruises around his wrists from the manacles.

He then saw a young man in a green-tan tunic with a red sash tied around his middle dozing in the chair next to the bed. A shock of spiky blue hair sat on his head.

Something about that seemed sort of familiar.

"Um," started Xander, unsure what to do next.

The blue haired man instantly became alert.

Wow, his eyes are very blue.

"Oh, hey, you're awake," the other man said with an unfamiliar accent. It certainly wasn't of Cobblestonian or Heliodorian origin. "About time. It's been two days."

"Two days?" It was not a number Xander expected.

"Yeah," the visitor confirmed, "it's kind of a relief considering…" He waved a hand in the general direction of Xander's torso.

"The healers couldn't find anything physically wrong with you," he continued, "so they figured it was something magical. That creep did use some kind of dark magic on you so a couple of priests from town were called in. They sensed _something_ but they aren't sure what."

"I think," Xander reluctantly recalled the events from two days before, "part of my power broke off?"

"It can do that?" asked the other young man. "So you still got the rest of it, right? You can still do, um, Luminary things?"

Before Xander could answer, there was a knock on the door and Xander dove under the covers as he heard Sir Hendrik's stern voice call behind the door, "Erik, how is the Luminary?"

The blue haired man now known as Erik cursed under his breath as he realized he forgot to inform the Luminary of an important detail.

Noting the wide eyes peeking out from under the blankets, he replied, "He hasn't awakened yet."

There was a sigh, "I will relieve you of your shift at noon."

"Sounds good," Erik acknowledged and he waited as the faint sound of booted footsteps became silent.

"He's, uh, gone now." At this, the rest of Xander's head cautiously emerged.

Erik rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, so, after that Mordegon guy ran off, the King retracted his proclamation that you are the Darkspawn. Since it was pretty obvious that you weren't evil, Hendrik got all stoically gloomy and declared that he would watch over you. But he can't lurk at the foot of your bed all the time so I volunteered to take turns with him."

"That's kind of you," said Xander.

"Thanks," nodded Erik before he cringed, "and uh, it also keeps the 'savior of the luminary' thing down to tolerable levels if I do this."

"What did you do?"

"I may have attacked Mordegon with my favorite knife and a sword one of the guards lent me when it was clear he wasn't bothered by a knife in the back," Erik casually bragged before nervously adding, "I spent a few months in that cell because a seer said I would find the Luminary that way. I didn't really expect the Luminary to become my neighbor. I mean, what are the chances of that happening?"

He then seemed to realize something, "Oh yeah. My name's Erik."

"I'm Xander," the Luminary replied, overwhelmed.

"Nice to meet ya, Xander. Now, ah, do you mind I call for Hendrik? I'm supposed to alert him once you wake up. I guess the King wants to speak with you?"

He watched as Xander took a fortifying breath.

"You could always go back to sleep," Erik offered.

Xander shook his head, "I am not tired."

"We could climb out of the window and escape into Downtown."

"I think," Xander resignedly decided, "I should see the King and get it over with."

"Alright, yeah, we can do that," Erik acquiesced before getting up and walking to the door. He opened it and stuck his head out into the corridor.

"Hey, can you tell Sir Hendrik that the Luminary is waking up?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the inspiration for this story was how the Luminary conveniently gets his powers back after his encounter with the Gloomnivore so either not all of his power got yoinked or Mordegon threw in some sort of curse that locked most of his Luminary powers away in case his adversary managed to survive the Fall. Either way, something happened and I'm gonna run with it.


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last here is the final part of this story. Sorry for the wait. orz
> 
> Unfortunately for the life of me I still can't think of a better title.

The throne room was less crowded this time. Only a few knights were scattered about the room. Hendrik stood by the King's left. Erik leaned by the doors leading to the room's exit.

"Honored Luminary," King Carnelian bowed his head in greeting, "it is fortunate that you have recovered from your ordeal."

"T-thank you, Your Majesty," stammered Xander, still surprised by the change in the King's attitude towards him.

"I must apologize for the ordeal you've been put through," the King added, "Mordegon had been planning to neutralize you since the day you were born and he almost succeeded."

He sighed and bowed his head, "For me, this marks the end of a long nightmare that started when you were born. Mordegon had control of my body for years and inflicted pain on so many people. In truth, I remember very little of what was done according to the reports I have collected but I have managed to prevent one more tragedy.

"Cobblestone," he revealed and Xander gasped, "still stands. Its people remain untouched by Mordegon's cruelty. However, it has been discovered that Jasper has betrayed his oaths as a knight and has become Mordegon's follower."

Sir Hendrik bowed his head. He was still processing his childhood friend's treachery.

"I have sent word of Jasper's betrayal in hopes he would be apprehended swiftly," continued King Carnelian, "so that one of the objectives he has been given will be rendered a failure."

"What is the objective?" Xander asked.

"To gain access to the Heart of Yggdrasil, one must collect six orbs. If Mordegon, with what little power he gained from you, is able to enter the Heart, I fear the consequences would be most dire. Therefore, in order to prevent this, the orbs must be obtained before Jasper and his associates find them. Fortunately, I am aware of where one particular orb is located. Inside the Kingsburrow is the Red Orb. It has been the prized possession of Heliodor for many generations."

"So I must head over the quickly," guessed Xander.

"Indeed," confirmed King Carnelian, "but you won't be going there alone. Hendrik and Erik have agreed to accompany you."

Xander suspected that Erik jumped at the chance to volunteer. The man in question shifted uncomfortably.

"It would be a great honor, Luminary," proclaimed Hendrik as he kneeled down before Xander, "to accompany you. I serve you now. Though it might cost me my life, I will stand beside you until evil is no more."

"Um," Xander was unprepared for how intense the man could get.

"I will be your sword, your shield, your unswerving companion."

"Thank you," Xander stammered as the man at last stood up to his full height.

"And I'll be by your side too," said Erik who had no idea how to top that speech, "until the very end."

"I appreciate it," Xander who started to feel that he actually could do this. To fulfill his role as the Luminary with people he knew he could trust by his side.

And perhaps he could regain what he had lost.

"May your journey go well, Honored Luminary," blessed King Carnelian.

* * *

Xander crossed the gates that separated Heliodor from the wilds of the world. Hendrik and Erik stood a few feet away.

"Ready to go?" asked Erik.

"Yeah, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, this is all I have for this AU because I can't think of any major differences with Hendrik being in the party during Act 1 besides his [muffled LOTR music playing in the distance] vibes slowly being replaced with kazoos a lot sooner. And, idk, I suppose Jasper will do whatever he wants. Therefore this fic is considered complete.


End file.
